My friends, on the last episode of season 2 I'm just yapping (in Portuguese!) about shame, discomfort, and some funny stories from back when I was living in Colombia.

I also reflected on my main learnings this season from talking to amazing guests with so much valuable content to share.

My intent with this podcast is to have honest, useful, adult conversations about life with accountable people, for accountable people. I hope that through these conversations you get inspired, learn something new, or simply realize that just like you and I, every single person is just trying to figure it out.

I will see you in a few months and as always, I'm really grateful for your support!

*Watch this episode on YouTube with auto-generated captions in English

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In this episode, I reframe self-love as a set of actions and decisions rather than a feeling or something tied to appearance.

I outline practical behaviors that in my opinion help build self-love: using kinder self-talk, investing in self-knowledge (including facing uncomfortable truths), and building self-confidence by honoring commitments, being selective with yes and no, not relying on emotions for consistency, and challenging limiting beliefs through small, controlled steps.

04:09 Words Shape Identity

05:17 Know Yourself Deeply

06:33 Build Real Confidence

11:04 Challenge Limiting Beliefs

15:51 Focus Your Attention

16:48 Choose Better Relationships

18:08 Move Your Body Daily

19:15 Actions Create The Feeling

Ever downplayed who you are to make it easier for others to understand you? This episode is your wake-up call.

Anna Luiza Barbosa, Oxford MPP student, joins me for a raw conversation about owning your story, trusting your intuition, and why your "non-fancy" background might be the most powerful thing in the room.

Over the past decade, Anna has worked across diplomacy, climate policy and sustainable development, holding positions that range from early career roles to leadership in international cooperation. Her professional journey includes working for the British Embassy in Brazil and the UN Alliance of Civilizations, where she drove initiatives that foster dialogue, sustainable growth and climate action.

From networking to self-confidence tips, this is a masterclass in becoming yourself on purpose.

03:50 How We Met Online

06:59 From Small Town to Big Dreams

14:05 Building the Oxford Path

20:36 Networking With Confidence

26:45 Daily Confidence Rituals

30:58 Authentic Networking Strategy

36:54 Small Town Identity

41:41 Unnegotiable Values

46:23 Leadership With Empathy

48:57 Trusting Intuition

56:06 Faith And Spirituality

01:01:05 Oxford Acceptance Sign

01:06:45 Closing Reflections

Anna's MM Effect Playlist

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5HRjaxqFHWeEWuAndi8r0Y?si=SiSxG8bKRAWf7X_ihIzkdQ

Ajude as vítimas das chuvas em Ubá

https://sosuba.com.br/campanhas

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Your attention is your most valuable currency, and everyone is competing for it. In this episode, we explore why being intentional about where you place your attention is one of the most powerful things you can do for your life.

Ever feel like you're doing everything but somehow still failing at all of it? You're not alone — and you're probably not failing either.

In this episode, we sit down with Erika Ribeiro Ituassu, a Brazilian-American attorney, mom, and senior corporate counsel at Workday, who gets honest about what "having it all" actually means — and why our definition of it might be the real problem.

We talk about why balance is a verb, not a destination, the "glass balls vs. plastic balls" framework that will change how you prioritize, what strategic neglect really means (and why it's not giving up), the invisible labor women carry, why asking for help is harder than giving it, and how to stop waiting to "arrive" at the life you're already living.

Whether you're a new mom questioning your identity, a career woman navigating shifting priorities, or just someone tired of feeling like everyone else has it figured out — this conversation is for you.

01:38 Redefining Having It All04:03 Balance as a Verb11:38 Why It’s Harder for Women14:47 Build and Use Your Village19:23 Asking and Learning to Receive Help22:14 Privilege and Immigrant Perspective30:10 Superwoman Costs and Self Talk33:21 Owning Mistakes and Good Enough36:34 Balancing Priorities and Patience38:04 Calendar Systems for Busy Lives39:41 Final Advice for New Moms

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I recently listened to Michelle Obama's Becoming (yes, I'm 8 years late it's embarrassing) and there's a chapter where she talks about her time at Princeton, why she stuck to her Black and Latino community instead of mingling, and the pressure that comes with assimilation.

I could really relate to that, and it finally put into words something I never quite knew how to describe.

On this episode, I read the parts that resonated with me and added my own thoughts on making friends in a different culture.

The episode challenges the belief that not knowing what you want means you’re wasting time, especially when comparing yourself to curated social media images and younger creators who seem to have it all figured out.

01:41 No One Has It Figured Out

03:15 The Myth of One Perfect Answer

04:31 More Than Your Job

06:15 Investing Time Not Wasting

07:12 How My Plan Completely Changed

12:09 Life Is About Questions

13:50 How You Actually Waste Time

14:19 Permission to Be Wrong

Is the meaning of life to be happy? What does happiness mean to you?

On this episode, I reflect on a recent post by Cristina Junqueira (Nubank’s co-founder) that really resonated with me and made me think.

Join me on this weekly bonus episode while I talk about one of the most important topics in my opinion: purpose, happiness, and serving life.

Cristina Junqueira’s socials

https://www.instagram.com/junqueira.cristina (PT)

https://www.instagram.com/crisjunqueira.intl (EN)

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Juliana Baranowski, Head of Platform at Brazilian VC firm Astella, shares how she unexpectedly moved from journalism and communications into venture capital.

The conversation emphasizes not waiting for validation

—especially for women—acting despite discomfort, being proactive and solution-oriented early in a career, and using a guiding vision of “the person I want to be” to step outside a comfort zone.

04:38 Discovering the ‘Connector’ Skill (and Why It Matters)

05:34 Juliana's Career Path: From PR Dreams to Joining a VC Fund

10:13 Impostor Syndrome in High-Performing Ecosystems

13:36 Claiming Your Seat: Self-Investment, Feedback, and Owning Your Story

16:28 Doing It Scared: Perfectionism, Anxiety, and Pushing Past Discomfort

19:01 Becoming Your Future Self: Values, Vision, and Long-Term Reflection

23:04 How to Know What You Want

26:47 Advice for Your 20s

32:45 How to Show Professionalism Early: Proactivity and Structured Solutions

34:35 What Makes Great Founders

41:08 How VCs Evaluate the ‘Why’: Deep Dives Beyond the Pitch

Find Juliana on LinkedIn

https://linkedin.com/in/julianabaranowski

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In this week’s bonus episode, I talked about my focus with this podcast since starting season 2, which is to interview more Latinos and more immigrants and share the things we know and think about, not just where we’re from. We belong at the table.